COLUMN: Teachers deserve a big 'thank you' for all they do for our students

Thursday

May 16, 2013 at 12:01 AMMay 16, 2013 at 7:38 PM

Deborah Rowlee

I want to say a big thank you for the teachers in Gaston County and elsewhere. I thank the teachers who really love their jobs so much so that they continue to work for a state that pays their teachers less than many other states (except three).

As a parent, I understand that teaching and learning begin at home. The teacher is a subsidy to my child’s learning.

I also believe that Common Core tests do nothing to evaluate how well a teacher does his or her job. How about we lay some of the blame on parents who do next to nothing to stimulate their child’s mind? The Common Core does not take into account the many factors affecting children today.

Poverty is number one. If these tests actually were so great, then all children would be a whiz at reading, writing and math. And, as we already know, many are not. We are still lagging behind. No Child Left Behind is a joke!

Have our politicians ever had to endure these tests while wondering where, when and how they could get something to eat? I doubt it. And people have the nerve to complain about free breakfast and lunch for some children! Besides hunger, children need time to learn to read and be able to comprehend what they read. If it takes them a year, then it just does. Passing them into the next grade does nothing to help them.

I would like to see teachers be able to teach; not to a “test,” but teach in any way they see fit, and so every child actually gets excited to learn the material and can retain it. Learning should be exciting instead of monotonous. I see all of the letters concerning abortion, and religion, which are great subjects of debate, but at a later date. I rarely see anyone complaining about the education system and stress it brings upon children all for the so-called benefit of dollars for schools.

If test taking is truly the reason for getting funds, then why does the state keep cutting funding even when schools show a marked improvement? It is disturbing to me how many schools have funding for Smartboards, and tablets, but yet, have the nerve to ask parents to donate Kleenex, Germ X, pencils, etc. Are these items not in the budget? Not the teachers budget, but the school’s overall budget? My child is not allowed to bring in any snacks from home such as chips or a candy bar, yet the school will sell these things to her in the cafeteria?

I also believe that P.E. should not be an elective or one semester class. Have you seen our children these days? They have gotten lazy, some of them with the help of their parents. The rest are skinny because many families have become unemployed and cannot afford to eat, depending on food banks and food stamps. Kids need P.E. for exercise and face-to-face socialization.

I used to be a parent who fretted over grades and everything else. It took me years to let it all go because, essentially, I am most responsible for what my child learns. I went to college. I have a graduate degree, but nothing in my education taught me how to relax and not sweat the small stuff, and these tests, in my opinion, are a part of the small stuff.

Thank your child’s teachers. Most do their best and are only held back because of political repercussions that the “higher-ups” might receive from all of the other “higher-ups.”

Parents, stop telling your children they can be whatever they want when they grow up. The world is changing, and telling them this only makes them feel let down later when they realize the statement is not true.

Teachers are not in the job to raise a bunch of geniuses. If you want one, guide and teach your child to become one. Be happy with your child’s best and that they want to go to school at all, and then thank the teacher for being a part of the reason your child has learned anything.

I give a great big thank you to all of the teachers for hanging in there with their students.